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Topic: Refrigerated Rail/Pizza Prep (Read 2170 times)

Hey all, anyone have any experience not using a pizza prep refrig? i'm noticing several places that simply use undercounter refrig and then bowls of stuff on the counter to make the pizzas. Caleb at pizzicleta comes to mind, as well as Anthony Mangieri at UPN.

I like the idea of the clean lines of not having a clunky pizza prep in my open kitchen. Any downside? Thanks for your advice/replies/help in advance.

Check your local health codes as to what equipment is mandatory. Check your ServSafe book. It states refrigerated foods are to kept at 41F - 5C or lower. It's not sexy but it won't get you sick. If you are on the line and slinging them out one after another, a bowl of sauce should be OK. If it sits out warming up waiting to be used, you are getting into the weeds. I'll bet these guys have a walk-in with properly stored ingredients and bring them out as needed.A prep rail is really convenient. Get the big one. I wish I did. Elevate it over the make table so you can use some of the space under it. The lids come off for a sleek appearance. If you do that you'll need a sneeze guard for the mouth breathers that crowd around.

usually the health dept.allows two hours at room temperature for food to be considered safe .it must be labeled with the time it was removed from your cooler.that documentation can or cannot by accepted by them.the warmer the ingredients hit the oven the better. the exception is cheese, colder allows longer cooking time before it greases out.

The health code rules vary by state, and 2 hours sounds about right as the max. some olives at room temp that are going to spend 3 minutes at 700F+ should be fine. certain cheeses and meat should be brought out to top a pizza and put right back in the fridge. it is nice to have the counter space.

i think caleb and anthony both use marble surfaces, which is great for dough. a giant butcher block doubles as a cutting board!